


But You Have To Be Quiet

by Anonymous



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Castle Byers, Ficlet, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Siblings who drink together stay together, Stand Alone, Summer, Will is a happy drunk, laughing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 16:22:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20028772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Jonathan comes home and makes Will's first time trying alcohol, well, interesting.





	But You Have To Be Quiet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sammy1983Moose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sammy1983Moose/gifts).

> Hi! I just want to say a few things before I get started!
> 
> \- yes, this is post-season 3, but the canon of season three is tinkered so that I could make this work. Hopper isn't dead, Castle Byers is not destroyed, and the Byers still live in Hawkins.  
\- Will and Mike are aged up, they're both seventeen, as I felt it was a little odd to have will trying alcohol at 14 or 15, which coincides with their real ages is the show.  
\- the Chief and El moved in with the Byers!
> 
> That's all! thank you for reading!

It was the summer of ’88 when Will Byers got drunk for the first time, even though the majority of his classmates had probably been drinking at parties, or because they could get away with it, for years. The sun set as Jonathan came home from college for the beginning of his summer break. He was set to be entering his senior year the upcoming autumn. And he deserved for all his hard work to pay off, he had worked hard for it. Besides, NYU was his dream school, and it had been a miracle that he’d gotten there on a scholarship in the first place.

As his beat-up car wheeled up to the driveway to his childhood home, Joyce, Will, Hopper, and El stood outside on the porch waiting to greet him. He had only been away since Christmas, but it felt like so much longer. He first hugged his mother, she gripped so tightly. He knew that she missed him when he was gone, but it was so much different to come home and feel the weight lifting off of her, the stress immediately melting away from her when she saw that her oldest son was home. Next was Hopper, who gave him an awkward embrace and a handshake. Things were still sort of awkward, Jonathan liked Hopper, respected him, but was still not quite settled into the fact that He was living with them now. 

El was after that, and she welcomed Jonathan home with open arms. He loved El, he really did. She was strong, smart and so, so, so good for Will. Both of them knew what they had been through. They truly understood the aspects of each other’s crazy, scary lives like no one else did, and before long, it was like they’d been siblings since birth. They told each other everything and always knew when the other was lying.

Finally, it was time for Will. Jonathan loved his brother more than anything else in the world. They had always been close but college only made them closer. Will called every night. Sent letters once a week. And Jonathan brought back a gift for Will every time he came home. Most of the time it was new mixtapes of music that he had discovered during his time in New York. Will loved those the most.

But Jonathan had a little something else in mind. He waited till after dinner where the family all sat; catching him up on life in Hawkins and listening to his tales of terrible food and all the places he ventured to and new friends that he’d met. He knew that they were far and away from the terrors of the upside-down and the creatures that tormented them. In that fact they were secure.

The warm summer air was filled with hope and relaxation as the two brothers sat on Will’s bed. The younger brother sketches sloppily, more of a concept than anything else.

“So,” Jonathan said, “You know I usually bring back gifts, and I did. I actually brought back two,”

The first thing he pulled out of his bag is a CD. Another mix and Will is overjoyed at the sight of it. The second, A bottle of whiskey. Will’s brow arched in curiosity.

“Now, I know that you’ve never.. you know… drank before. And if you don’t want to, we don’t have to, not at all. But I thought it might be fun-“ Will laughed out loud at his brother, Jonathan glared at him with a confused look.

“Come on,” Will said, “I’m gonna be a senior this year. I think it’ll be good to at least try it once… let's go.” He said as he placed the bottle back into Jonathan’s book bag, sneaking into the hallway and out the side door of the house while Joyce and Hopper were engrossed in their movie. They trekked through their backyard to Castle Byers, peeling back the curtain and climbing inside.

They took a seat on the pillows and Will opened the bottle, taking a small, small sip. He dramatically coughed and covered his mouth, “God, that is awful,” he cackled through a gasp for air and a choking cough.

“How do people drink this shit,”

Jonathan laughs at him, but as they hear the crack of sticks on the ground he instinctively puts a hand in front of his brother. The wind gusted outside, making the leaves twitch in the trees as the footsteps drew closer. El flicks back the tattered bed sheet with a mischievous smile. “They told me you guys’d probably be in here,” she beamed as her grin grew.

“They’d be right about that. You’re welcome to stay as long as you don’t tell them we have alcohol.” Will spat, eyeing the bottle in disbelief.

“Deal,” she shoots back, “But you’ve gotta let me try some.”

She reaches for the bottle, taking a large swig as Will gestures immediately for her to stop. He cringes as she keeps going, which prompts her to immediately open the castle spitting it out. Her eyes water, glistening with pent up tears.

“Jesus,”

“I tried to warn you,” Will laughs.

After a few hours of passing the bottle around is the circle between the three of them, they were all drunk. They were all drunk--and Will specifically was plastered. He stands, bumping his head on top of the fort as Jonathan and El giggles like toddlers.

“Where are you going?” Jonathan wailed with laughter as he stumbles through the woods back to the house. Except, he entirely misses the house and instead, aims for his bike—which is propped on its kickstand and sat on the front porch.

He’s slurring his words, “I, uh—there’s s-someone I have to see,” he says, hopping onto the seat of his bike and beginning to pedal. Before he can even completely exit the driveway, his lack of coordination proves a difficult obstacle. The bike, and him, each fall immediately over on their sides.

He gets back up and stumbles a little, collecting his ride, and his pride. He bikes off down the road as both of his siblings chucking at him uncontrollably, El falling down on the grass, her chest heaving slightly from all the laughter.

The ride down his street to Mike’s house is serene and completely soundless. He thinks for a brief moment about every time he’d ridden from his house to Mike’s and vice versa. As he turns into Wheeler’s yard, he abandons his bike and sprints quietly to Mike’s window, facing the task of climbing up onto the roof in order to get there. He knocks. Mike’s light is still on.

The boy's shadow moves through the window pains as he opens it, looking utterly confused. “Will?” He questioned as he recognized his boyfriend through the dark of the night.

“What are you doing here?”

“First off-“ Will slurred, “I’m sooo drunk, I don't what's in that stuff but it shouldn't be legal’ he lamented, laughing and pointing a finger as he shifted his position so that he ended up sitting on Mike’s window sill, half of his body inside the room.

Mike stares down at will bleeding knee in concern, his brow furrowed.

“Will, what happened to your knee?”

“Oh, that? I kinda—I fell off my bike when I was leaving my house. ’s no big deal, jus a scrape.” He slurred again, Mike couldn’t help but laugh.

“Michael?” He said, and it was then that Mike lost it, laughing. Of course, in the future, there would be plenty of times when a drunk Will would address him by his full name. But that first time always felt so much different, and a million times funnier.

“Yes, William?”

“I just want to tell you how much I _love_ you.” Will blurted indignantly with the volume of a babbling child about a stuffed animal that they loved.

“I love you too,” He spoke back, not questioning it.

“YES! I knew it!” The smaller boy yelled pumping both fists in the air as though to confirm a victory.

“Will, Will… shhhh” Mike shushed him, putting his index finger up to his mouth. Mike’s parents were fast asleep and so was Holly. He couldn’t have them witness that. He’d be in deep shit.

He leaned over, drawing Will into a soft, loving kiss as they cradled each other's faces, gently. Will Pulled away first

“You can come in..” He said... “But you have to be quiet.” And the smiled, pulling Will by the arm, where they both plopped down, Mike beginning to play with his hair as he drifted into a peaceful sleep. 


End file.
